For the past 23 years, since the foundation of the mould-breaking Dalkey School Project, the multi-denominational school movement has laboured under a major disadvantage vis-a-vis the traditional church-linked national schools.
The problem has been the way its schools are funded. Although this is nominally the same as denominational primary schools, the lack of church backing and a parish structure has meant that small groups of would-be multi-denominational parents have been landed with the task of both purchasing a site and raising 15 per cent of the new school's capital cost.
The Department of Education - as it does in all primary schools - has paid teachers' salaries and an annual running costs grant of £50 per pupil. All remaining costs have had to be paid by the parents.
It has often taken up to five years for new multi-denominational schools to get full recognition from the Department. Only then can they get an 85 per cent building or renovation grant, although in the meantime the Department generally pays - retrospectively - half the cost of temporary rented accommodation.
In contrast, when a new housing estate is built, a new denominational school, on a church-provided site, is provided immediately.
The result has been that many of the 16 multi-denominational schools have spent years eking out a living in old church and scout halls, refurbished factory buildings and other unsuitable accommodation.
Previous ministers made endless promises to the movement's umbrella body, Educate Together (ET), but delivered relatively little. The first sign that things might be changing came before Christmas when the Minister for Education, Mr Martin, pledged a once-off payment of £20,000 to prevent the closure of ET's Dublin office. This compared to an annual Department grant of £6,000 last year, £2,000 in 1996, and £1,000 in previous years.
Mr Martin's announcement to the Galway School Project yesterday - called "a historic move" by one senior official - is based on a recommendation from the Commission on School Accommodation Needs, which has been examining the criteria for recognising new schools, that new multi-denominational schools should be treated in exactly the same way as Gaelscoileanna.
This means the State will buy a site for them and provide 100 per cent of their building costs, although Department of Education officials stress that they will have to pass the same viability and pupil-number tests they have always had to face.
Mr Martin sees multi-denominational schools as a largely urban and parent-run movement facing unfair financial constraints. Parents wanting to set up such schools in Dublin, Cork and Galway face special problems of obtaining sites and paying high rents for temporary premises. He himself has friends and relatives with children at the multi-denominational Gaelscoil in Cork city.
Given the Irish ethic of parental choice, "there is a demand in urban areas for these schools, and it is reasonable to recognise that demand", said one official yesterday.
The Minister does not see any large growth in multi-denominational schools arising from yesterday's decision. If anything, he is more concerned about the extraordinary expansion of Gaelscoileanna, some of which are reluctant to move into suitable premises in old buildings because they know they will get 100 per cent funding for new buildings.
However, there may be some mutterings in traditional churchlinked sectors. After decades of benefiting from Ireland's unique privately-owned but publiclyfunded education system, such schools suddenly find themselves at a disadvantage, still being required to fund a site and 15 per cent of building costs out of their considerable but now declining ecclesiastical resources.